Generally, a vehicle body is provided with various moving parts, for example, a trunk lid and a tailgate as well as front and rear doors. The moving parts are mounted to fixed mounting parts of the vehicle body in such a way as to be openable and closable.
At the intersection between the two parts, gaps are inevitably formed between the moving parts and the mounting parts of the vehicle body. Such gaps are generally referred to as “seal gaps.” The gaps provide the necessary clearance to prevent interference between the moving part and the mounting part. While a vehicle is driving, wind noise may be transmitted through the seal gaps into the vehicle. Moreover, when it rains, rainwater may flow through the seal gaps into the vehicle.
Thus, in order to maintain the quietness and airtightness of the vehicle, various types of weatherstrips are installed in seal gaps created between the moving parts and corresponding mounting parts of the vehicle body.
When the weatherstrips are installed in the seal gaps, data on the exact dimensions of the respective gaps into which they are installed are required. To this end, existing devices collect the data about the seal gaps by filling the gap between the moving parts and the mounting parts of the vehicle body with resin or clay mold and measuring the resulting molded part.
In this case, the molded product may be deformed when it is removed or hardened, and thus it is difficult to measure precise dimensions. The hardened piece may be difficult to remove from the gap as well. Further, it takes an excessively long time to measure the seal gaps because the molded product must be hardened. The accuracy of the collected data is also dependent on the skill of the workers who measure the seal gaps.
What is needed is a device for measuring a seal gap which overcomes the above and other disadvantages.